The Boston Celtics continued their strong post–All-Star surge Thursday night, defeating the Golden State Warriors 121-110 behind a historic performance from Jaylen Brown.
Brown recorded his third triple-double of the season — and fifth of his career — finishing with 23 points, a career-best 13 assists and 15 rebounds, matching his career high on the glass. Payton Pritchard led all scorers with 26 points, while Sam Hauser added 16 as Boston won for the seventh time in eight games.
The night also marked the Golden State debut of former Celtic Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 12 points after being acquired at the trade deadline. Porzingis, who helped Boston win a championship during his two seasons with the club, had been sidelined with a left Achilles injury before returning to action.
Golden State played without two-time MVP Stephen Curry, who remains out with a knee injury. The Warriors struggled offensively in his absence, falling to 6-11 this season without him. De'Anthony Melton paced the Warriors with 18 points, while Will Richard and Gui Santos each added 17.
Boston seized control early. After eight different Celtics scored in the first quarter, the hosts opened the second period on a 17-2 run to build a commanding 74-51 halftime advantage. The lead ballooned to 30 before Golden State mounted a late push. A dunk by Gary Payton II trimmed the deficit to 111-99 with six minutes remaining, but Pritchard responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to halt the rally.
Up next:
The Celtics will face the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday, while the Warriors return home to host Denver.
